The cyclist who killed a pedestrian in New York’s Central Park calls it an unavoidable accident.
And claims he was only riding eight to nine mph at the time of the impact.
Or course, the key to riding safely is to respond to situations, especially those involving pedestrians, before a collision becomes unavoidable. And if he was riding so slowly, the question becomes why he was couldn’t stop and had to scream for people to get out of his way.
When I ride that slowly, which isn’t often, I can stop on a dime. And it’s hard to believe an impact at such a slow speed could cause the serious injuries the victim reportedly suffered.
Meanwhile, a writer for HuffPo asks when New York will crack down on reckless cyclists. And gets just about everything wrong, including blaming a delivery rider in the bike lane for riding too fast instead of the driver who right hooked him.
On the other hand, City Lab’s Sarah Goodyear does a good job of putting it all in perspective, noting that two New York pedestrians have been killed by cyclists in the past five years, while 156 pedestrians were killed by drivers in the city in 2013 alone. Yet still makes it clear that does not absolve cyclists of the need to ride safely.
And New York Streetsblog says every New York traffic fatality should be investigated like this case has been.
……..
Just heartbreaking.
Kerry Kunsman, the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition board member killed while riding in Oregon over the over the weekend, was keeping a blog of his West Coast tour; the last entry was just hours before he was run down by a 74-year old driver.
……..
LocalOkay, so it doesn’t even mention bikes. But the contest between Sheila Kuehl and Bobby Shriver for County Supervisor could be the most important race in the November election; the Time’s Jim Newton says there really is a difference between the two.
Meanwhile, Kuehl talks bicycling and transit issues with Streetsblog and Santa Monica Next in a 30 minute video.
KCET offers a good in-depth examination of the debate over putting bike lanes and sidewalks on the redesigned Hyperion Bridge.
LA2050 and Atlantic Live invite you to a twitter party this Wednesday afternoon; no, not to celebrate my birthday but to discuss placemaking and what it means to be an Angeleno.
The LACBC hosts the first Firefly Ball awards dinner on Thursday, October 30th.
State
Streetsblog looks at the new bikeways bills signed by Governor Brown last week.
The Laguna Beach Independent offers more information on the lawsuit filed by the husband of fallen cyclist Debra Deem against California and Newport Beach.
An LA student wins a $1000 Bicycle Accident Scholarship; Gabriel Ybarra, who will be attending Whittier Law School in Costa Mesa, was riding with a friend who was hit and killed by a texting driver. Thanks to Sam Maher for the heads-up.
National
Unbelievable. Or maybe all too believable. After a fleeing driver leaves a Colorado cyclist lying in the street, another man walked up and stole her belongings.
The motorist who left American pro cycling legend Dale Stetina with life-threatening injuries faces up to one year in prison after pleading guilty to careless driving in Boulder CO.
A Minneapolis writer says the city’s cyclists are ghosts after dark, and suggests following military rules requiring helmets and reflective vests. But this outfit is definitely not the answer.
The bike-friendly mayor of Pittsburgh wants to Copenhagenize his city
New York considers doubling the fines for hit-and-run, but only if the driver knows or should know that an injury has occurred; laws that hinge on a perpetrator’s state of mind are almost always unenforceable, if not unconstitutional.
A Columbia University professor takes his students on an all-night bike tour to examine the history of New York.
International
Toronto cyclists start a sticker campaign to shame drivers who park in bike lanes.
A London cyclist tackles the Tour de France’s legendary Mount Ventoux — not once or twice, but six times in one day.
Yes please. Cycling through France’s Loire Valley.
Finally…
A Tucson cyclist tells what it’s like to avoid getting run over by a street car by mere inches. The Chicago Blackhawks invest in bike share. And a Colorado writer apologizes to motorists for the profanity he used when one of their number almost killed him; a good read and definitely worth the click.
My condolences to Kerry Kunsman’s family and friends. I spent an hour reading and looking through his blog. I’d encourage folks to go and look through the pictures. The lone bike pictures are ominous. Yet, as I was reading it seemed Kerrys’ last ride was more of a spiritual journey. And the 74 year old driver that hit him (who stopped) and looked like a respectable member of the community. Tragic overall. That section of the road where Kunsman was hit is being discussed in a community blog. Seems the road where Kunsman was hit was not maintained to provide safety for cyclists. Mr. Kunsman’s blog sadly shows that he was prepared for his travel (lights, a photo showing Kunsman bike leaning against a post where a button triggers flashing lights) in a tunnel. Nonetheless. RIP fellow rider.
When I heard he was doing “8 or 9 mph” I figured that was his terminal velocity when he hit her after braking and trying to avoid hitting her. I don’t read it as that was his speed before she stepped into the roadway.
So sad on the news today. Looking at Kunsman’s blog makes you feel like this could happen to any of us.
I’m glad you added the link to cycling through the Loire Valley as it was one of the fondest memories my wife and I had. I wish we had that type of network on the West Coast.
And early happy birthday wishes!
[…] And today’s Daily Ted. Morning Links: More media frenzy over fatal NY bike/ped collision; fallen SD cyclist was keeping blo… […]
By all means try to cycle in France. The Loire Valley is on my list as well. I have biked out of Toulouse to the north and east and the last trip out of Bordeaux region. You don’t need a lot of bike routes because many roads are small and very low traffic.